Goddess
by SunshineAndSecrets
Summary: SEQUEL TO HUNTER! The long awaited Part 2 has finally arrived! Rejoin Bella and her Tribe as they confront what's left of the Askari and attempt to conquer their biggest challenge yet: Total reform of the corrupt Supernatural world. Bella's newly gifted Goddess powers are both blessing and curse when the fate of the Earth and all of it's many denizens rests solely in her hands. BxA
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Duhn duhn DUHHNNNN! DRUM ROLL PLEASE! Oh yes, the Hunter series has returned, thanks to the avid interest of avid fans! Welcome back for your second ride, sit tight and enjoy!**

My eyes snapped open at the same moment Alice gasped. We both sat bolt upright, taking only a few seconds to take stock of the dark room around us. The walls of my bedroom had been tinted a light blue shade of moonlight and the sound of dying leaves rattling in the trees whispered around us, but neither had caused me to wake. Alice and I looked at each other, wide eyed and slack jawed.

"Rose," we whispered at the same time, then leaped out of bed, flinging covers hither and thither and dashing from the room.

We were already sprinting down the hallway when Emmett's startled cry beckoned us, or rather me. "Bella! It's happening!"

"We know," I said, leaping from the top of the stair case to the bottom, not willing to waste any time. "Rafael, Holly, Aria, Archer, Birch! Up and at 'em!" I called out to my tribe, pleased to hear the immediate sound of motion from their rooms. "Alice, call the others."

"On it," my mate said, dashing towards the kitchen for a quiet place to place a phone call.

I focused finally on the two vampires before me. One was a hulking man, wrapped with muscle and wide as a tree, whose utterly terrified expression looked quite out of place on his face. The second was his wife, a bombshell blond who was _extremely_ pregnant and looked extremely uncomfortable as well. She lay currently on the downstairs couch in mine and my tribe's woodland mansion, head propped against the arm rest and panting despite her lack of true need for air.

"Tell me how you feel, Rose. Just talk to me." I tried to make my voice as soothing as possible as I laid a hand on her extended stomach, feeling with my magic for what lay beneath. Everything seemed to be going as planned, just as it had been for the past two months since I had first used my magic to create a child for her and her mate.

"It hurts," she hissed out, I'd guess trying not to whimper.

I laid a hand on her forehead, cooling her body with a spell to make her more comfortable. I could do nothing for her pain right now though, her body needed it to let her brain know how the birth was progressing. She wasn't supposed to like it, but that's life sometimes.

"Carlisle is on his way, as are the others. You're doing great, Rose. Emmett, give her your arm or something to squeeze. The contractions will start getting closer together the closer the baby gets."

Emmett quickly moved to offer his wife his hand, which she eagerly latched on to. Emmett grimaced but offered no dissent. "She's been having contractions for about an hour now, but we thought they were just ghost contractions, like the other times." Emmett looked more frazzled than I had ever seen him, and under different circumstances I'd probably be laughing and cracking a joke about it.

My tribe came tumbling down the stairs, all five of them bright eyed and bushy tailed. "What do you need, Bells?" My second, Rafael, asked.

"Get me some rags and some water, and fetch a few bags of blood from the fridge. Birch, how close are the others?"

The cornsilk blond, fair skinned boy closed his eyes for just a moment. "They'll be here within the minute. They're running, not driving." Birch was an oracle, he possessed a Kara'til, a gift given from Apollo to his ancestors back in the days of ancient Greece. It was uncommon for a Hunter to come into any genetic gifts until they had finished growing at age twenty-one, but my tribe was not exactly what you would call ordinary.

By the time the others came back with supplies, Alice at their heels carrying a few bags of blood, Rose was in the midst of another contraction. I was in the middle of placing a pillow behind her for support when Carlisle, his wife Esme, and their adoptive sons Edward and Jasper burst through the front door. Carlisle was at Rosalie's side immediately, probing at her stomach and gauging how far along she was. "Alright Rosalie, I've brought a hospital gown for you. Can't give birth to a baby through jeans, can we?" He tried to lighten the mood, but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say Rosalie wasn't exactly in the mood for joking.

Emmett helped her stand and we respectively turned around as she was stripped down and slid in the gown. Before she laid back down I reached into the pool of magic within me and summoned an old blanket from the hall closet to lay beneath her. Birth was a beautiful thing of course, but no one had ever said it was cleanly. I flashed her a sheepish glance and said, "No offense."

"No taken," was her wry, clipped response.

We stood on the side of her head, my tribe and Rose's siblings, as Carlisle checked under her gown. "It won't be long until you have to start pushing, Rose. Take some deep breaths and get ready."

She did just that. Esme looked to me and said, "Is there anything you can do to help?"

I shrugged and sighed. "If there were going to be complications, sure, I could alter that. But at the core of it birth is one of those old things I really can't do much about. It's between her an the baby now. She'll be fine, don't worry." I gave the older woman a warm smile and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, if a Goddess says my baby and my baby's baby are going to be fine, I think I'm good with that," Emmett smiled out, forcibly, but smiled nonetheless.

I scrunched my face up for just a moment, still not used to the term 'goddess' being thrown around in affiliation with me. Sure, a few days ago I had sacrificed myself in battle to save my mate, been held in limbo by Gaia for a thousand years to learn the ways of ruling the planet in her stead, and had then been reborn from the ashes of my old body amidst a whirling inferno, but was that _really_ such a big deal?

_You're kidding, right?_ Alice deadpanned through out mate link.

_Oh, hush_.

"Alright Rosalie, give me a big push in three. One... Two... Three!"

Rosalie pained groan made us all wince and made me particularly glad the universe had allotted my soul to bond with another woman's. No babies for me!

"Alright, that was great. Take a few deep breaths, and again." Carlisle's medical training shone through in every way, from his obvious knowledge and skill, even to his demeanor.

Again and again Rosalie pushed in time with her contractions. We had awaited this day for a long time, not the full nine months per say, but somehow it still seemed surreal that the moment was finally upon us. I'm sure through the pain-induce haze of pushing another living thing from your nether regions, Rosalie felt the same.

She let out a scream.

_Or maybe not..._

Emmett looked like he was about ready to fall apart. Emotionally, of course, though from the crackling I heard Rose could probably loosen her grip on his hand just a tad. His eyes were wide with fear and a wee bit of horror too. Of course if I had to see Alice in this much pain, I'd probably have a meltdown as well.

"Almost there!" Carlisle said, a look of determination plastered across his face.

Rose screamed and tensed once more, and it was as if the very world let go of a held breath when we heard that baby cry. It was a strong wail, produced by a strong set of lungs. Carlisle beamed and pulled the squirming mass out from under Rose's gown. She deflated for just a moment, panting, until her face contorted once more. She groaned and Carlisle's eyes lit.

"We're not done yet," he murmured, handing the child off to where Esme waited with a fresh, warm blanket and several rags to begin cleaning it off.

"What?" Emmett asked, terrified and confused and generally unhappy.

Alice and I of course were smiling like a cats in the cream because we'd known all along, from the very instant the pregnancy had begun.

Edward gasped and burst out, "Alice, how in the world did you manage to keep this from me?"

She let out a tinkering laugh and replied, "Edward, I learned a _long_ time ago how to get around your gift, don't act so surprised."

As miffed as her brother was, no one was focusing on them long as yet another cry burst out into the room, just as strong and healthy sounding as the first. With a grin I walked forward and place a hand on Rosalie's shoulder, smiling down at her.

"Congratulations Mama, it's twins," I said with a smile.

Through her exhaustion she smiled.

"A girl and a boy," Carlisle said with a smile.

Esme had finished bundling and cleaning the second baby, and she handed both to Rose at the same time. The little girl had wisps of blond hair and light blue eyes, while the boy had the start of Emmett's dark, curly locks and darker, sapphire eyes. Both seemed to already hold an unnatural amount of intelligence, but hey, what else could you expect from hybrids?

"What should we name them?" Emmett asked.

"I want to name her after the woman who helped us bring them into the world," Rose whispered.

"Rose, you don't have to do that," I said, equally as stunned as everyone else.

Rose just shook her head, smiling down at her daughter and first born. "I want to. Besides, there must be some good cosmic energy to be had in naming your child after a goddess."

I wouldn't argue with her so instead I smiled. "I'm honored."

"Isabella, then," Rose said with finality. "Isabella Esme Cullen."

Esme looked as surprised and honored as I had.

"And what about him?" Emmett asked, smiling down at his son.

"How about we name him after your father?" Rosalie asked with a smile and Emmett beamed.

"Theodore?"

"Theo for short of course. Theodore Ezekiel Cullen."

"Theo and Izzy," Emmett said with a smile, and to everyone's surprised the children even joined in.

I sighed in relief that everything had gone smoothly, and Alice leaned into my side. My tribe beamed at one another, thrilled to witness the miracle of birth. Rose reached for two bags of blood, cutting a small hole in the tops of each. As soon as the smell wafted into the air the babies began to squirm. Surprised, Rose lowered a bag to Izzy's level and the child eagerly latched on and began sucking away. She was quick to offer Theo the same and as they ate, we all made small conversation about what to expect as they grew up, what all we needed to buy now that there were two instead of one. As soon as the bags were empty the babies immediately fell asleep, nestled into the crook of their mother's neck.

Gently, ever so gently, Rosalie shifted and handed Theo to her husband. At first Emmett looked startled but Jasper let out a low laugh and said, "Em, man up and hold your son."

That lit a fire in his eyes and Emmett reached out eagerly. As ownership changed the small hybrid opened his deep blue eyes and stared up at Emmett. He didn't cry, but he did seem to be assessing the situation. His father smiled down and whispered, "Hey there, little man. I'm your daddy, it's nice to meet you."

We all smiled despite ourselves, even Theo, at the big man's antics. It was an odd sight, the hulking man holding such a small thing. The baby gurgled and reached out with grasping hands. Emmett smiled and held a hand of his own out so that Theo could grasp Emmett's big hands with his much smaller ones.

"Do they have gifts?" Rose asked, breaking the trance.

I smiled and nodded. "Theo can feel and picture what people are planning in accords to him, like we discussed. Izzy's gift developed all on her own, I had no meddling in that, and it's a very strongly magical one at that. She will be able to manipulate elements it seems, or something close to that anyways."

"Wow, my kids aren't just innately awesome, they're badasses too!"

Rose sent a glare at her husband. "Don't curse in front of the children, idiot."

Despite the rebuke, Emmett still grinned.

Rafael yawned and said, "Well, glad to see we got through yet another minor calamity unscathed. It's still two hours until the sun rises, I'm going back to bed."

I nodded to him and the others followed his lead, all except for Holly. "Seth is coming off patrol in La Push anyways, I think I'm just going to head down there."

"Alright, say hi to everyone for me," I said, knowing Jake and Skyler would be there as well as the others in the pack we had grown close to since the battle.

"I always do!" Holly said with a laugh then ducked out the door. I watched as her fox spirit companion, Renia, appeared to whisk her away.

Before long the entire room was empty. Emmett and Rosalie returned to the spare room they had been staying in as soon as Birch told them the birth would happen soon. Carlisle, Esme, Edward and Jasper returned to Casa Cullen and I could hear my tribe snuffling and snoring away as they fell back into sleep. I led Alice out to the back porch, overlooking the woods and the small creek that flowed through it. It's gurgling infiltrated my mind and thoughts until they ran, just as the water did. I vaguely felt Alice's presence as she monitored what crossed my mind, seeing if anything struck her fancy. My thoughts were not simply baby related of course, but as they often did had turned to more serious matters, such as our impending trip into the heart of Canada to reconnect with my tribe, so I could hopefully take my place on the throne I loathed my claim to.

"It'll be fine, babe," Alice murmured.

I could only sigh, relaying my doubt and worry through our link.

"Brinnin has been there for a week already and all his reports have been very positive. I think your clan will be happy to see someone, you know, _sane_ on the throne. They will gladly follow you."

"It's not just that though! They can willingly follow me all they want, that's not even the hardest part. I could still lead a group of people that didn't want me there, that's almost easier because you don't need to worry about pissing them off, they're already there! I'm not just going to have to lead them, I'm going to have to appease them. I'm going to have to make nice with them, pretend I actually like the noble families that mocked and shunned me. God, I'm going to have to deal with my brother, too." I grimaced.

Alice, on the other hand, smiled. "I don't know Bella, I'm kind of excited to meet him."

I gave her a dry look. "He's a sweet kid, but a complete ditz at times. Plus he was putty in my grandmother's hands so he's also a stuck up snob, and most of the time he doesn't even realize he's doing it."

"So part Jasper, part Emmett, and part Rose."

I chuckled despite myself, but sobered quickly. "I don't know, I'm just worried. Everything is about to change. I mean, even with that battle looming over us I still loved it here. I loved the life we made here and now we have to leave it all behind."

"We can come back after everything is settled though, can't we?"

I shrugged. "We could possibly come back near here, but it won't be the same. I'll have a band of nobles following me around, trying simultaneously to kiss my ass and wriggle out blackmailing material. I'll have to oversee ceremonies and delegate jobs. I'll have to meet clients and won't be able to run any jobs on my own." The more I talked about it, the more miserable I got and Alice knew it.

"Hey, hey now. Stop all that. Yes, you'll be going back, but not to the world you knew. Things will change now, you'll _make_ them change."

…

Two days later, once Rose was back to her full strength and I had seen the babies were adjusting properly I announced that we would finally be returning to the Clan. I told the Cullens that they were welcome to come along, though my Clan may not accept them. After long conversations it was decided that only Alice would accompany my tribe and I northward, taking up her position as my mate, while her family would stay to maintain human pretenses and to ease my way however they could. I was sad to leave them, my new family and the truest one I had ever known, but I couldn't argue with their reasoning. Seth, Holly's mate, would be accompanying us as well, having been given a temporary leave from Sam's pack.

When the sun rose on our day of departure we were already awake and ready to go. I had my sword, _Archangel_, strapped to my hip and wore my trademark black leathers. A quiver of arrows, no two the same, was strapped over my shoulder along with my unstrung bow. My tribe, even Seth and Alice, was dressed similarly. Seth was unarmed but Alice was accompanied by her sword, _Sanguine_, which happened to be spelled against almost every attack I could think of. I was extremely nervous to bring her into the political wasp's nest called the Askari Court but I would be even more nervous were she to be separated from my side.

"Are we ready?" Rafael asked.

I sighed and ran a hand through my brown, green, blue, and white streaked hair. The odd colors were only mild highlights and lowlights, most prominent in the sun, and had sprung up after my rebirth along with shimmering silver irises. "As ready as we'll ever be. Gods above, I never wanted to return to that place."

No one said anything, knowing I was talking more to myself than to them. I sighed for a final time and closed my eyes, delving into the pool of magic within me. Well, perhaps 'ocean' would be a better way to phrase it. Before the battle my reserve of magical energy had been impressive, unheard of in a Hunter for centuries and it had allowed me to do incredible, awe-inspiring things. Where post Hunter's commanded a pool of magic mine had been a lake, and now it was a vast, deep, terrifying ocean. Even I had not yet probed it's depths to their full extent but I could sense the earth shattering ramifications that would come about if I ever did.

I barely dipped below the surface now, grasping for the threads and currents within. In my minds eye I caught flashes of color and light, flickering in time with the thoughts in my mind and the intent in my heart, reaching for me and begging to be woven into the tapestry of a spell. I was happy to oblige. By feel and instinct I pulled them into a sentient form and a warmth spread over my skin. I pulled in string after string until the complex blanket of my spell shimmer before me. Content I smiled at my creation then pulled it to the surface. The wind roared in my ears and a heat covered me, on the cusp between comforting and unbearable. Then, almost too soon, it was suddenly over with.

The air around us had turned from a crisp, late October breeze to a frigid, bone chilling Canadian autumn bite. Snow flicked around us, some blown from the ground and some falling from a sky that never seemed to tire of spitting them out. The pine forest around us was tall, ancient, and very much sentient. I saw the flickers of forest spirits and sprites darting around on the edge of my vision, but every time I turned to one they would hide away. I smiled and walked forward to one conifer, taller and broader than the rest. I ducked my way into it's heart, skirting branches and needles, where no snow lay and it was noticeably warmer.

My aura filled the confined air around me a slowly, one by one, a family of sprites peeked out from behind branches. They were no more than six inches tall at the largest and some were as small at my pointer finger. They seemed to be a strange mix of human, lizard, and bird. Wings sprouted from their backs and their faces were generally human but with a serpentine edge in the slanted planes of their cheeks, nose, and glowing green eyes. Their hands were tipped with short claws and their skin was mildly scaled, more prominent in some places than others.

I smiled up at them and then said, in the Language of All, _Hello. How do you do?_

To all creatures who still lived close to Gaia's influence, the Language of All was native to them, something they knew instinctively. The farther you slipped from Gaia's embrace, the harder it was to understand or speak it. The more human-esque Supernaturals had no knowledge of it whatsoever.

_What are you?_ One of the young ones asked.

Like one cat leaping for another with vicious intent, a larger sprite leaped down from a higher branch. It bowled the younger one out into the air and their scrabbled, screeching and clawing at one another until the older sprite, one I guessed to be it's mother, held the younger by it's wings. _Know you no respect?_ She seethed.

The young one pressed it's pointed ears back and down, trying to make itself as small as possible and avoid it's elder's wrath.

_It's fine, _I said, trying to diffuse the situation. _The youngling meant no disrespect. My name is Bella, heir to the Askari and favored of Gaia. Tell me, do the Hunters still make camp not far from here?_

The sprites stiffened, their demeanor changing radically. The largest, likely the monarch of their family, came to hover before me. _I am Koru, father of this tree-clan. We have heard whispers about you from the trees, Chosen One. Is it true you have cast down the Crazed Queen and restored balance to our world?_

I swallowed hard. _An honor to meet you, Koru. I'm afraid I have restored little so far, but that is my intention, yes._

One by one they dropped into low bows, even the young ones. Koru went on to say, _Let us guide you, Chosen One. Please, we would be honored to serve you in any way we can. Anything we can do, you only have to ask._

I was startled by their reactions, of course. Sprites were odd creatures to be certain. They were similar in many ways to certain subspecies of pixies and goblins and were fiercely loyal. In olden days, back before humans had deviated too far from Gaia's light, families would leave offerings for such creatures on their farms or in their shops, hoping to earn favor. In some cases families of sprites, pixies, or house goblins would become so attached that the link lived on through generations. It seemed this was the sort of bond Koru was trying to create.

_I am doubly honored Koru, but I can sense your family's link to this tree, you have watched over this grove for many, many years. It would not be right of me to ask you to leave._

Koru scoffed. _This land is rich with our kind, our grove will not be wanting for new ownership. There is more honor to be found in serving our savior. Please, my lady, allow us to accompany you._ He bowed once more, all while my emotions caught in my throat.

_If you are certain you wish to come along, I will not stop you. But please, if at any time you wish to leave, you are of course free to do so._

The sprites in the tree buzzed happily, skittered here and there with wide grins revealing pointed, shark-like teeth. When I emerged again, with a cloud of seven sprites trailing me, my tribe gave me bewildered looks. I sighed and thought to myself, _Really, you'd think they'd be used to things like this by now._

**A/N: So, hopefully a bit of a refresher since we last heard from the gang! What did you think of the babies, huh? Don't think Bella is abandoning the Cullens either, she'll be back in no time at all. I think. Maybe? Who knows!**

**I hope you're all as excited as I am for this next installment, please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns! I love hearing your feedback, via reviews or PMs! I love you all!**

**-Sun**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm back with chapter two! This one is a fun'un, in my opinion! Hope you like!**

_ The sprites in the tree buzzed happily, skittered here and there with wide grins revealing pointed, shark-like teeth. When I emerged again, with a cloud of seven sprites trailing me, my tribe gave me bewildered looks. I sighed and thought to myself, Really, you'd think they'd be used to things like this by now._

"Bella, what _are_ those?" Seth asked, brows drawn together.

"These are Woodland Sprites, Seth. May I introduce to you Koru, the tree-father, Pik, his mate, Graag, Koru's brother, and Koru's children: Oppej, Rosh, Hirma, and Braggh." The sprites flew forward in turn to introduce themselves. As it was, Braggh had been the small sprite to face Pik's wrath. "I asked for directions to the exact current location to the Askari camp and Koru volunteered to show us, as well as swearing the allegiance of his family to my service," I said, sheepishly.

I had never enjoyed the reverence certain individuals showed me simply for the gifts I had been given. It had always felt unwarranted, that they seemed to admire me more for the things I could do than the deeds I had done.

Rafael stepped forward and bowed slightly. "An honor to meet you all."

The sprites seemed mildly stunned by Rafael's manners. Before they could question this, I began to introduce my tribe and our extras. "This is my mate, Alice of the Cullen Coven." The sprites flew to her and bowed to her as they had to me. In sprite culture, any honors one sprite held their mate also shared. From then on, I only pointed to each other as I said their name. "Rafael is my second, then there is Birch, our oracle, the twins Aria and Archer, and our last two are Holly and her shifter mate, Seth."

The sprites showed them all due respect and eventually we were on our way yet again. Koru flew point, leading us along game trails through the dense forest towards the camp, while the rest of his family settled down somewhere either on my person or on Alice. Pik sat on my shoulder while Braggh sat on my other, chattering away in the Sprite language, one I was only vaguely familiar with. Graag perched on the rim of my quiver and Rosh clung to the pommel of Alice's sword while Hirma and Oppej had each claimed one of her shoulders.

"_Not far now,_" Koru said as we entered into a particularly dense stand of pine trees.

The air began to hum with energy. The magic of so many hunters in one place sang around us. In prouder years people had reveled in it's rejuvenating feel and some even wondered if it was this atmosphere that kept us young for so long. It had the ability to keep the land fertile and lush, animals produced more young and food was easy to come by near Hunter camps. Flowers bloom in every spare patch, small animals come and go, birdsong twitters through the trees. Or at least that's how it's supposed to be. It had never been that way in my life time. My grandmother had been sure of that.

I dipped into my magic and probed the land ahead with my mind. The camp's location was protected under a myriad of spells but I had long ago learned the gaps in their weave. Putting their weaknesses to use now that we were closing in, I saw that we weren't far at all. The camp had moved slightly south since I had last been here in early summer but I had ranged far and the land still looked familiar. Koru's flight speed slowed and his path became a bit more jittery and haphazard. I was about to ask him if he was feeling alright when he turned to me.

"_Perhaps it is better if we wait outside for you, Mistress,"_ he said in a quivery voice.

"_Is the magic irritating you?_" I asked with a frown. His family seemed equally disturbed.

"_No Mistress, only it is... unnerving being so near. Apologies, but it has been many years since we have been allowed within Hunter Territory._"

My countenance darkened and I glared into the trees, as if somehow they would convey my anger to the camp. They weren't ill, they were scared! There had been a time when Hunter camps were safe havens for supernaturals. They were places of healing and lodging and comfort. They were long houses where hundreds of races could convene and tell stories and sleep side by side in front of a communal fire. They were foreign foods and jokes and alliances. Now they were a place of fear and false superiority.

"_Koru, no harm will come to you while you are under my protection. The Askari Camp should not be a place of fear, and I am very angry that my family has made it so. Don't worry, I will protect you._"

He did not seem as comforted as I would have liked, but he perched on my shoulder with his other family members and allowed me to walk on. I tried to ignore the feeling of their shakes and shivers. Finally, the trees before me shimmered and wavered, morphing before my eyes into a tall wooden wall as if the magic protecting them was running off in rivulets. Alice and Seth gasped, but I marched on with a determination that was quickly turning into anger. A gate loomed before us, protected by a wood-hatched portcullis. Along the top of the wall, two men in Hunter garb stood at attention. One called out as we approached.

"Halt! State your name and business."

"My name is Bella Ravensage, heir to the Askari throne, here to claim my birthright. Now open this damn gate!" I wanted to add 'Before I blast it to smithereens,' but I thought better of it. I was supposed to be winning their hearts, wasn't I?

Regardless of smithereens or no smithereens, they fell over themselves to heed me. I used magic to sharpen my eyes and saw their faces drain of color and sweat break out on their foreheads.

_That's some high quality fear,_ Alice thought wryly in my mind, flavored with a hint of distaste.

_I know. My grandmother had quite a reign._

The portcullis cranked upwards and we passed underneath, back home once again. I grit my teeth against the unpleasant thought. As soon as we passed through the gate people inside did one of two things: groveled on the ground or stared at me with startled anger. Quite frankly I preferred the latter, it was much more easily managed. Around us tents were propped up in a myriad of colors, all representing the crests of the families who lived in them. As we passed a whisper raced through the camp ahead of us so the farther we walked the more people stood out to greet us in their own special way. Eventually a train of them began to follow us, likely from curiosity. I would have told them to leave us to our business, except I knew that if I unclenched my jaw curses and blasphemes would be the only thing I could manage.

All around me was evidence of the Hunter's corpulent corruption and it sickened me to the bone. There were only two types of people I saw, either the lavishly jeweled and clothed that emerged from grand, gilded tents or the lean and haggard with worn clothing emerging from tattered homes, clutching emaciated children. Many of the wealthy looked enraged at my arrival but only a few had the grace to look guilty. They were in essence the children caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and they had gotten away with it for far too long. I was here to set things right and they damn well knew it.

"Where is Brinnin?" I asked in a clear, ringing voice. It was laced with magic due to the anger running in my veins, aching to burst free and ravage the place.

"I am here, m'lady," his familiar voice replied. I turned in time to see him push his way to the front of the growing crowd and kneel before me.

"It is good to see you again," I said, my voice softening only a degree. "How have things fared here?"

He paused a moment, seeming to not like answering in front of a crowd. He settled on, "As well as can be expected, m'lady."

_Bad, then,_ I thought with a wry grimace. "I see. Well in that case I-"

"Gods above, what _are_ on your shoulders?" A new voice came from the crowd. It was rich and jovial with the type of disbelief one lends a child after they have made some sort of embarrassing mistake. I prickled and turned to find it's source, only to come face to face with a mountain of a man.

Many men were prided for having a tall stature with broad, muscular shoulders. That sort of thick frame was idolized in Hunter society. Unfortunately, this man was not _that_ type of mountainous. He was nearly wider than he was tall, with soft dough-like skin as pale as milk. He had a flop of greasy brown curls atop his head and multiple rings glittered on his sausage fingers, constricting them severely. Amulets and jewels glittered along his person and he wore fine velvet robes instead of leather or mail. On his breast was a red dove carrying a blue arrow, sigil of the Redfern family.

"Master Redfern, how fare you?" I asked to be polite, choking down my repulsion. How any Hunter manages to get fat, I could never guess. He was barely two hundred years old, but his hair was already receding and he grew weak. Luckily he had had horrible luck with wives but wonderful luck with children. From his four passed wives, none of which were his true mate I might add, he had birthed over fifteen children that kept him well supplied with gold and honor. The Redfern family was highly respected, Gods only know why.

"I fare splendidly, my dear girl. Now if you please, your little friends there?" His voice remained condescendingly sweet, as if I had brought him a dead frog and said it was a prince.

"Lord Redfern, you startle me. Surely the excitement of my return hasn't addled you so much you cannot identify a Wood Sprite? They used to be so friendly with our people too, shame they no longer reside in our camps."

The man bristled quietly and only for a moment, but his reply came back sweeter than ever. In the meantime, I noticed the crowd looked on with vivid interest, all breathing held. "Pardon me, you're right of course. I just didn't expect our heir and liege to consort with such... creatures." 'Creatures' slid from his mouth like slime.

My voice cracked out like a whip, tired of his games. Magic seeped into my words. "My Lord, I feel it is my duty as your heir and liege to remind you that as a so-called Hunter, it is _your_ duty to consort with creatures of all types. You _are_ a Hunter, aren't you?"

He floundered, face flushing with anger. "W-well of course! What are you implying, girl?"

Rafael burst in, unable to contain himself any longer. "How _dare_ you refer to your Queen as _girl_?"

I held a hand out to Rafael to stop him. I was on a roll and didn't need the help. "I imply nothing, Master Redfern. Instead I am _saying_ that if you present yourself before me clad in robes instead of armor, adorned in jewels instead of scars, so fat you'd best mind your footing around slopes and scornful of the creatures we are sworn to protect then I _will_ question your integrity as a Hunter! And I will tolerate no disrespect, have I made myself clear?"

As my speech progressed so did the amount of magic that leaked it's way through. The ocean within me was raging with all the force of a typhoon and it took all my strength to quell it. A trifle of fear flashed through me and I wondered briefly if it was too much to handle. By the end the ground trembled beneath our feet and the wind had picked up to the point that it whipped at Master Redfern's robes. His flushed face had gone pale.

"Yes, my lady. Apologies, my lady."

I took a deep, visible breath and closed my eyes, containing myself yet again. I hissed out in a hard voice, "I want the head of every family and the council to convene in the Royal Pavilion. Now."

I turned and stalked that way myself, leaving a stunned crowd in my wake.

It was Rafael who called out, "Are you deaf, she said _move!_"

They broke like a kicked anthill, scurrying this way and that. The ragged Hunters I noticed as I walked looked at me with awe and reverence in their eyes, and it occurred to me that if Redfern could try his hand at bullying a Queen, nothing would stop him from pushing around the families with less honor or wealth than his. I wondered how many had suffered under him.

The Royal Pavilion had been, by my decree, Brinnin's headquarters since he had arrived, which I sure wrinkled a few brows. He was not a high ranking Hunter and his Tribe had been half wiped out in the Rebellion, both labeling him as sub par by current standards. This was not to say that he was bad at what he did. He seemed intelligent and competent, and after looking through my records I had found that the only reason he was not placed within a noble Tribe was due to the high numbers of noble children in his class. I found him to be quite the effective conduit between me and the tribe, and planned to place him upon the council as soon as I fully came into my throne. Gods only knew when or how that would occur though.

The pavilion was massive and made from black and blue fabric, the colors of my family crest. Inside there were multiple chambers, one for sleeping and eating, another for entertaining visitors, and yet another, the largest, which was the council room. Spells soundproofed the area and it was enchanted to keep occupants calm and comfortable. Inside five Hunter's already awaited me, three women and two men. Of the women, only one showed any age, and that was Lady Wolfcharm. Her robes were the gray and gold colors of her sigil, and eerily matched her graying blond hair. Her other female counterparts still appeared to be young and youthful twenty-somethings, though I knew one, Lady Firesight, was over one hundred and twenty and the other, Lady Morrowtide, was over two. The men, Lord Flintwyn and Lord Oakheart were both somewhere in between.

They came in one after another, filling chair after chair. Some I liked, some I didn't, some I had no feelings for whatsoever because they had not been head of the family when I left. I assumed their predecessor's had died in the battle, but I wasn't about to ask. Lady Roseblade came in with Lord Goldwalker, followed by the young Lord Sparrowman who was hardly older than I. The hulking Lord Whitebear came in just behind Lord Stormrunner and both preceded Lady Cederlyn. More and more came until finally all the chairs were full and even then more came, standing on the fringes. Lower ranking Hunter's had come first, and more than once a higher ranking noble tried to remove them from their seat, only to be quelled into submission by a fierce glare from me. Finally my headcount notified me that all were in attendance and I began.

"Many of you probably aren't happy to see me. I understand that."

I paused to survey the room, making note of who's eyes flashed and who grinned and who glared. _Listen for their heart rates, make note of who reacts to what I say,_ I told my tribe and Alice. I felt them all agree.

"Frankly, I don't care right now. Maybe I will tomorrow, maybe not, who knows. All I know right now is that I am absolutely sickened by the state of this camp. I made my opinions perfectly clear before my departure and I'm sure none of you are surprised to hear they have not changed. Are any of you aware of the state of the world? Do any of you even care?"

I paused again. Some looked bored and apathetic, some looked confused, all too few of them looked guilty.

"The world is _terrified_ of us. The races hate the Askari, the gods refuse to work with you, even the creatures of your own forest are too scared to get close to the camp. Dammit, being a Hunter used to _mean_ something! We used to be protectors, champions of the weak and defenseless, protector, Wardens of the World. That is what we were made to do, and yet somehow you've all turned your backs on that sacred duty. That sacred duty that has guided our actions for thousands and thousands of years. Yet all it took was one crazy tyrannical Queen and look at you now. Cruel. Lazy. Greedy. Are you proud of yourselves?"

No answer.

"You've all learned the lore, you know our history! Would your ancestors be proud of you?"

Still no answer, but many a gaze dropped to the table or to their feet.

"I said, _would they be proud?_" I grateful for the soundproofing of the room due to the volume of my words.

A smattering of whispered 'no's and several noncommittal grunts answered me. I glared at them for a long moment. "I'm claiming my right to the throne. Object now if you wish to challenge me."

Gazes hardened, faces turned to stone, anger lit in their postures but no one said a word.

"I will accept challenges, face to face on an open field as custom dictates. Is there no one?"

Nothing.

"Fine then. I will now accept oaths of fealty, nothing fancy, just needs to be done."

They went around the room, swearing themselves, their families and all they have to me. They swore loyalty and bravery and subservience but I could only believe a few of them. Some swore with tones of resignation, some with gusto, but I took none of it at face value. When it was over with I ran a hand through my hair.

"I have no interest in a coronation, it is done. I won't hold you here for much longer, but I need a basic run down of the state of the camp. Please consider the state of your family, the missions you've run, and the other families around you in your answer then come to me tomorrow starting at noon, one at a time. Nothing you tell me will be publicly divulged, I need an honest gauge of where we stand. Missions will resume in two days after I've made my decisions. Are there any questions before we adjourn.

To my surprise, several hands went up.

I nodded at the young Lord Sparrowman. "What tithe will you require of us?"

My brow furrowed. "Pardon?"

"The tithe. The late Queen demanded a monthly tithe from us, surely you knew?"

Anger kindled in my silver eyes, fierce as a true flame. It must have shown, seeing as several of those closest to me flinched away. "I was as removed from the council and their going-ons as I could have been. It helped that my Grandmother had no intention of including me or teaching me anything of worth. So no, I was unaware. I will take no tax from you, Lord Sparrowman. Other than the Clan cut of mission fees, that which has always been in place, your earnings are your own."

Surprise intermingled with disbelief.

"Don't look so stunned! From this day forward we are returning to our true purpose as a species. We're Hunters, not the Mafia!"

Another hand raised and I nodded to a Lady dressed in black and red, the colors of the Roseblade family. "Who shall oversee training? Both Hanson Oakheart and Gregor Windseer were slain in the battle. The children have gone without guidance."

I bristled. "Their families can take the responsibility of teaching them what they can until a suitable replacement can be found. Any children who's parents are incapable for some reason or another are to be sent to me or a member of my tribe."

Lady Roseblade looked satisfied so I nodded to the final hand, belonging to Lord Flintwyn. "Many important Clansmen and women were slain in the battle, such as our best Healer, our head of intelligence, many of our traders that convened with the other species. If we don't get replacements of those soon it will cripple the camp."

I pondered a moment then said, "Tomorrow while I meet with you all I will have several pieces of parchment, for lists of things like resources needed, positions that need to be filled, prominent folk who passed in the battle. Once everything is sorted out and accounted for we can make the necessary arrangements. Satisfactory?"

Lord Flintwyn nodded, a small smile on his face. The man appeared to be no older than mid-thirties with a crop of wavy brown hair and a large, well muscled build. His eyes were kind and warm, very few others in the room shared those traits. I liked him.

"If there is nothing else..?" I asked.

Silence met me once more.

"Very well. Meeting adjourned. I'll see you all tomorrow."

They filed out one by one, some grumbling to themselves and some painfully mute. Only a few like Lord Sparrowman and Lord Flintwyn stopped to say they were glad for my return. Before long the only ones left in the tent were my Tribe and I. I flopped down, face first on the table top.

"What have I gotten myself in to..."

"Aw, cheer up Bells!" Rafael said, clapping me on the back. "I think they like you!" I looked up to see a crooked sarcastic smile on his face.

"I am not above socking you in the jaw," I muttered but the bastard just laughed.

"It's not your job to make them like you," Aria said, fiddling with a strand of stark white hair.

"It kind of is," I said. "I mean yeah, I'm here to reform them but I'm also here to lead them. I'm not going to be a tyrant like my grandmother was."

"That's the fine line rulers have been struggling over for centuries," Birch said. "But if there's anyone in the history of the universe who can figure it out, it's going to be you."

His utter confidence in me twisted my stomach into knots. "Was this a vision?"

He shrugged. "Nah, just a hunch."

"Great!" I said sarcastically, throwing my arms outwards. "Hunches are what got me into this friggin' mess!"

"Oh hush," Alice said, running a smoothing hand through my hair. "Take a deep breath. When push comes to shove, you've got the power to do whatever the hell you want. Thing's always work out for the one holding the bigger stick, there's another history lesson for you."

_Yeah, I've got the power, but do I control it or does it control me?_ I thought dismally, and Alice didn't seem to think that was fit for a response.

"Now come on. We need to go re-inhabit our old quarters," Holly said.

"They're new quarters now," Rafael reminded her. "We're allocated to the Royal Tribe's tents. All of the Queen's tribemates were killed, and their family have moved back to their family's plots. They're all ours now."

Holly's eyes lit with a fierce kind of pride. It was well earned, of course. After all, she had spent two years living as an exile, but now she held one of the highest positions in the Clan. The honor her family would hold just from their relation to her was substantial, had she not disowned them for disowning her. She actually came from the Whitebear family, and it was her great grandfather who had come to the meeting but they had spared not a glance for each other. The anger my tribe felt towards their blood relations was still substantial, even after all these years.

While I was supposed to live in the Royal pavilion I didn't think I was ready for that just yet. Besides I wanted to help settle my tribe in. We had just walked outside once more when a small form crashed into my side. I was caught by surprise and nothing besides my restraint kept me from frying the intrusion.

"Bella, you're back!" The voice was raspy and familiar, as was the mop of dark hair. I looked down into the freckled, blue eyed innocent gaze of my younger brother. My throat choked. I had stolen his throne, orchestrated a battle that had killed both our grandmother and father, and bent the Clan to my will but he was still overjoyed to see me, by the looks of him.

"M-Milo!" I stuttered out, still shocked. "Hey, yeah. I'm... I'm back."

My tribe could sense my discomfort but Milo seemed rather... well, oblivious.

**A/N: Enter Milo: The hopeless case with Royal blood and Bella's only living family. I don't think it will surprise anyone to know that she really lacks those mothering genes. Good thing Milo's a sweetheart, huh? A ditzy sweetheart, but sweet none the less! Well, let me know what you think of this one, please? Pretty please.**

**E-Tacos for all who review! Your feedback keeps me going!**

**I love you all!**

**-Sun**


End file.
